I’ve known Aron for almost forty years– he’s one of my oldest friends. For the past few years his wife Deb has been struggling with a rare form of cancer, and after her long battle, she finally succumbed at the start of this month. Although I’m always sad when a friend passes away, it’s been rare to experience that with someone my age. It was a crushing blow, although not an unexpected one. Deb’s funeral was in Missouri a couple of weeks ago, but I wasn’t able to attend. There was a separate celebration of her life in Nebraska, and I figured out the logistics to make sure I could be there. I hitched a ride with Derek and Bech, who were driving out from St Louis, and we made our way to Omaha.
It turned out to be a really wonderful experience. It was great to hear from friends and family who had known her, interwoven with song and some hopeful messages. Aron spoke for a while about her, and he was thoughtful and eloquent. Afterward, there was a big informal dinner gathering and an opportunity to see some other old friends. Nancy, Aron’s mom, was there (naturally), and in high school she was like a second mom to our little group of friends.
I was also able to hang out with Amber, his younger sister, who I haven’t seen in more than three decades.
Derek, Bech, and I decided to stay in town a couple of extra days, and we had some time to hang out with Aron and play pickleball, chat with his kids, and (surprise!) play some board games at his amazing gaming table.
Although Aron was understandably sad about Deb, he and his boys had been preparing for this for a few years. We didn’t dwell on the sad things– instead, we enjoyed the good times.
We’ll miss you, Deb.